The Marriage Bureau for Rich People

Very well drawn characters, with wonderful dialogue. I found it difficult to stop listening to this audible recording, as I was fascinated with the evolutionary changes in customs, acceptable gender roles and the impact of the IT revolution on a society. Charming, mildly humorous and hopefully, only the first of this author's body of work.

i loved this book, and have listened to it a few times. a charming story about arranged marriage and indian customs. excellently read as well.

This wonderful story is an immersion into Hindu and Moslem culture in India. I loved the intertwined stories from start to finish. The narrator is excellent. Each character was unique and the dialogue was absolutely inspired.
I'm a new fan of Narahad Zama!

I really enjoyed the book. I picked it off the $4.95 sale list because I was desperate for something different to read. In someways it is like the Alexander McCall Smith No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series --in that it features an exotic local with characters whose mind-set is a lot, lot different from my own East Coast suburban milieu. I was hooked. I just could not put it down. It was really a simple story--nothing deep; nothing complicated; nothing depressing; nothing upsetting--just a pleasant way to escape from the every day.

Like No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, the narrator brought this book to life. If I had been reading to myself, all the characters would have had a Boston accent. But Tania Rodrigues read with an Indian accent which helped to paint the setting of the book.

This book is not going to win any awards. It is not great literature and it isn't pretending to be anything it's not. It is just a very pleasant way to spend the time listening to an enjoyable, heartwarming story about ordinary people living ordinary lives.

I knew very little about the wedding and marriage customs in India, other than the weddings are elaborate. But this book with a great story line and great naration, capitvated me. I couldn't stop listening.

I enjoyed this book. It was a little slow at first but gets more interesting as characters fill out. I don't know much about everyday Indian life but this story comes across as authentic. The romance is enjoyable but maybe not so believable. Primarily I enjoyed the descriptions of Indian life and relationships.

The feeling of being in a story book land

The theft of a flower

I have not

When Rama came to get the girls

This was a sweet yet smart romance. Very enjoyable.

This is a pleasant story about very pleasant people. What I liked best was the way the different customs were explained so that you knew what was going on along with the descriptions of what was happening. I really enjoyed it and went right away to see if there were more books by this author. If you like darkness overcome, violence and strife, evil villains, you will not find them here. If you like enjoyable good times and different customs, you will enjoy this book.

I cannot decide if I liked the Moslem of the Hindu wedding best.

IN THE SECOND PART ENJOYED THE INNOCENT LOVE STORY THAT ENDED SO WELL, AND OF COURSE THE DOWN TO EARTH ADVICE ON JUST LIVING...

LOVED MR. AND MRS ALI AND THEIR GOOD COMMON SENSE...THEIR KINDNESSES FELL IN LOVE WITH WHOLE BOOK!!!

NO

YES

DITTO ON COMMENTS ON FIRST PART!!!

Maybe not. While the narrator does the voices very well, she is so boring & almost monosyllabic when reading the narration, that I almost stopped listening at one point (I'm glad I didn't). I'm sure I'd have flown through this had I read it, because its a cute story & very interesting from the cultural aspect, but the voices wouldn't have been so good, when only in my head.

Mrs. Ali, because she's not only wise to the world, but knows how to approach each situation with great thoughtfulness. Although I loved most of them.

Probably not.

Hmmmm...probably any of them, as long as we went to a good Indian restaurant!

A fun "read", if you can wade through/put up with the narrator for the first half (which has more narration, I think, & therefore more of the narrator's boring interpretation) & wait until the "good stuff" starts. Very cute story & culturally fascinating; I can't wait to read more of the author's books!